The Spring Purge: 5 Bags In 5 Days - Day 1

This week my sons and I are off for spring break and I have high hopes of catching up on some small organizing jobs around the house as well as some long overdue blog posts! Since we have five days off I thought I would try to purge five bags or boxes of "stuff" - one per day. Check back every day this week to see details on which area of my house I'm tackling, and then join me on Saturday to see if I have managed to purge 5 bags in 5 days!

Day 1 - Monday April 6: My Clothes

Although we had a warm spell in March with temperatures in the high teens, Calgary weather is famous for its fickleness and we knew we'd see more winter weather before spring was fully established. Sure enough we had snow and temperatures below zero today and over this past Easter Weekend! During the warmer weather I pulled some spring wardrobe items out of storage but knew that I needed to keep my winter gear handy as well. My closet was overflowing with different seasons and styles of clothing...none of which were organized. It was driving me crazy and making getting dressed each day a challenge. So Day 1 of my purge-a-thon was the perfect time to tackle the piles, sort out the seasons and hopefully fill at least one bag to get rid of!

No matter which season or type of clothes I am sorting I follow the same guidelines that I have been using for years. They are based on the system shared in the book Nothing to Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo. As I pull items from the closet to go into storage (or pull items out of storage to go into the closet) I ask:

• Do I love it? 
• Is the color/style/fit flattering on me? 
• Do I feel comfortable wearing it? 
• Is it in good condition or does it need to be upgraded? 
• Is it appropriate for my lifestyle and or the image/look I want to project?

If all answers are yes, then the item is a keeper.  A no answer means the item is gone, baby! If I have some hesitation or reservation, I might set the item aside to re-visit during the next purge/next season (but if it hasn't been worn and loved by then, its out!)

Here's the pile I ended up with this morning. Since I've been doing this for several years now, I don't have a ton of clothes to give away each time I do a closet purge, but there are always a few items that have outlived their purpose or that I am ready to let go of. The keepers get hung up in the closet on nice slim line hangers in rainbow color order - Red, Orange,Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple. Yeah, that's the art teacher side of me. Or maybe its the obsessive side of me. Anyway...it sure looks pur-dy!

I used to consign my clothes, but the small amount of cash I'd receive just wasn't worth the time and multiple trips to the consignment shop. I now simply bag or box up my clothes and drop them off at a charity drop-bin or at a local Goodwill or Value Village store. It makes me feel good knowing that someone will get good use out of the clothes I no longer want or need. 

I did pretty good...my closet is back in order for spring, and I ended up with my first very full bag to drop off later this week!

Now how about you? Can you purge one bag of stuff today? I'd love to hear in the comments how you get rid of clutter in your home! Join me back here tomorrow as I tackle my boy's clothes!